


Child's Play

by immoral_crow, johanirae



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, avengers reverse bang, summer 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-24 08:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/937623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immoral_crow/pseuds/immoral_crow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/johanirae/pseuds/johanirae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony isn't looking for a complicated relationship - though he may have chosen the wrong option for an easy life. Suddenly there are mythological creatures and feelings *everywhere*. And, well, what's a boy to do? Tony'll be damned if he has to deal with emotions, but since he's in Hel he might well have to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Child's Play

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Illustrations and Prompt image for Child's play](https://archiveofourown.org/works/937253) by [immoral_crow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/immoral_crow/pseuds/immoral_crow), [johanirae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/johanirae/pseuds/johanirae). 



The thing was, it _wasn’t_ complicated – that was the problem.

Oh, yeah. It should have been complicated – fucking your team’s nemesis should be the epitome of complicated – but it just… wasn’t.

It’s not that Tony would go so far as to say that he was in love or anything. Hell, no.

Convenience all the way – that’s what this was. The sort of convenient relationship that meant hiding all traces that it existed and finding ways to explain a) where Tony was last Thursday evening when he should have been at team movie night and b) what that mark on his neck was.

Convenient. Yeah.

Tony was the first to admit he didn’t do this people thing so well. It had taken him three weeks to notice that Pepper had moved out and wasn’t just away on business, and that had worried him for the next two months until he’d worked out that nothing had really changed. Pep stayed the same, and they stayed the same, apart from the fact there was less sex and slightly fewer recriminations.

It probably shouldn’t have been a relief.

He’d never thought he would end up as part of a team, and it helped that the rest of the Avengers were as dysfunctional around people as Tony himself. When your team included a man who was used to being treated as a god, a snarky scientist with commitment issues that vastly outweighed his anger issues, a national icon who represented what the country should be rather than what it was, and a ménage a trois of three of the scariest superspies and agents Tony knew… well. It was hard to feel like he was the one with the biggest problems any more.

So, really, this _whatever_ with Loki was ideal. There were orgasms and the chance to find out about other worlds in carelessly made comments, and frankly Loki’s whole outlook on the nature of reality was just _fascinating_ … and no one ever expected anything of Tony more than he was willing to give.

Take now, for example.

With anyone else, after sex that athletic, Tony would probably have to rack his mind for something meaningful to say. Instead he allowed himself a few seconds resting against Loki’s side (not cuddling – never that. It was just that Loki was pleasantly cool, even in the hottest weather, and that last round had been hot in all sorts of ways) before heading out of bed, his head already full of ideas for how he could adapt the suit to deal with…

“That’s it?” Loki stretched, the sheet riding dangerously low on his hips, and Tony paused. “You have had your fill already?”

“Tempting as it is, Snowflake, I have both a refractory period and stuff to do.” He found where he’d left his jeans in a hastily discarded puddle inside the bedroom door, and looked round for his t-shirt. “Help yourself to a drink or whatever. Thor’s down in New Mexico with his ladylove, so you’re probably safe enough for now.”

“Mmmmm.” Loki pushed himself off the bed and stretched like a cat, and Tony briefly reconsidered his decision to get up. But then Loki took a step forward and was dressed, and Tony would _never_ get used to magic. “Thank you for your offer, but I believe I have things that demand my attention.”

“Great,” Tony said. He looked at the pale line of Loki’s throat, and how the low collar of his robe brushed against it. “The others are away for a few days, so you can come over again later if you want.”

Loki froze at that. “That would be acceptable,” he said. “I do not think my work will detain me for long.”

He gave Tony what could only be classed as an odd look, but the beauty of this arrangement was that he didn’t have to care about odd looks or subtexts, so he just grinned, wolfishly, as Loki vanished, and then headed down to the workshop, forgetting the exchange as he went.

\--

It was a sad fact of life that man could not live on motor-oil and engineering alone. Tony knew this – he’d tried his best – but the others got so pissy when he went without sleep or food that he’d decided a while ago that it was easier to just look after himself.

A sandwich and a nap was a hell of a lot easier than facing Cap’s Disappointed Face™ or Coulson’s threats.

Also, it kept the lot of them off his back and out of his business – which made it easier to keep the whole Loki thing under wraps.

So – lunch. And that meant Tony had to leave the workshop, which was a drawback, but he gritted his teeth and headed out for falafel. It was close, it was quick, and it passed the Banner/Romonov nutrition test. Tony sighed. The last year of living together had been something of a learning experience for everyone.

It was a nice day though, so Tony brought his lunch to the park to eat. He wasn’t sure if sunshine and fresh air was part of his new “lifestyle”, but it wouldn’t hurt. Much. Probably.

He’d lived long enough in New York that he had his forbidding look down pat and managed to eat unmolested, and mostly escaped the drops of hummus that fell from the wrap.

Mostly in this case was relative, and Tony was trying to de-hummus his shirt when he became aware of someone staring at him.

He was used to being watched, especially by children, and the staring girl was probably only in her early teens. She wore a green jacket pulled tight around her, and her long blonde hair obscured her face.

Unlike most other children though, the girl looked neither shy nor excited. Instead she was watching with a steady gaze that seemed to strip all Tony’s defences away. He blinked. There was something _wrong_ with her but his mind seemed to slip away from understanding it when he tried to work out what it was.

But, he’d not survived in the superhero business this long by knowing when to hang back, so he wandered over to her and said “Hey, kid.”

She just stared at him, a disdainful curl to her lip that was vaguely familiar, and Tony heard himself stumble on.

“You wanna autograph? I’ve probably got an Iron Man picture I could sign for you.” He grinned at her. “You’ll be the envy of your friends, you know.”

“I don’t have friends.” The girl was incredibly self-possessed, and she sounded almost amused. “And I do not want your autograph.”

“What do you want then?” Tony asked. “’Cuz I don’t take things from fans and I don’t give out money either.”

“Maybe I wanted to see what manner of man you are,” the girl said, “when you are stripped of your toys and court.”

“Huh.” The hairs on the back of Tony’s neck were standing up, and something was definitely not right. “And do you like what you see?”

The girl smiled, and though Tony couldn’t pinpoint why, something was screaming at the back of his mind.

“Maybe,” she said. “Though I confess I still do not understand.”

“Understand what?” Tony asked, but a passing jogger jostled him with his shoulder, and when Tony turned back to the girl, she had gone.

_She must have run back to her mother_ , Tony thought as he turned back to the Tower, and the bustle of the street dispelled his unease, until he forgot all about the encounter.

\--

The important thing was that Tony didn’t forget about his invitation to Loki. It was just that he got a tiny bit caught up in his work, and then, suddenly, it was ten o’clock and he was sweaty, covered in a thin layer of motor oil, and still in the workshop.

Truthfully he might not have even noticed, but he looked round to find out where he had put the damn number seven wrench and found Loki sitting on a chair that Tony hadn’t known he owned, watching Tony with an inscrutable look on his face.

“Honey,” he said, his face poker-straight. “I’m home.”

Tony closed his unattractively gaping mouth. “Did you have a nice day in the office, darling?” he said. “Also, get you and your cultural references.”

Loki yawned. “Just because my oaf of a brother lacks any cultural awareness, doesn’t mean I am similarly incapacitated.”

Tony snorted. “You haven’t shown much evidence of it so far.”

Loki tsk-ed. “I had thought you brighter than your fellows,” he said. “And now you mistake _can_ for _will_.” He rose from the chair with more grace than any human could achieve, and stalked close to Tony. “I _know_ of your human culture and references.” He tipped Tony’s chin up with one long finger, and leant his face even closer. “I _choose_ to ignore them as irrelevant.”

Tony swallowed, watching how Loki tracked the movement of his throat. “That makes sense,” he said. “Terrible, sociopathic sense.”

Loki frowned slightly. “That is an insult, yes?” He turned Tony’s head, and though his grip was gentle Tony didn’t think he could break free easily. “I understand the words, and yet,” he dropped his hand and took a step backwards, out of Tony’s space, “I do not understand why I should be insulted by the implications of it.”

“The problems of being a god,” Tony said, able to breathe now he had a little space. “Either you risk not understanding or you go native.”

“My brother seems to have managed both at once.” Loki’s brows were drawn together and his attention was not on Tony. “I would choose neither path.” He focussed on Tony again. “To be in the world and not bound by its constraints – it is a challenge we both face, I fancy. Of course,” he smiled, cold as ice, “I would bring it to its knees, which is not one of your desires.”

Tony laughed, and then, when he saw the look of puzzlement on Loki’s face, laughed harder. “The only thing I need to do to bring the world to its knees,” he said when he could finally get his breath, “is to hold a press conference and announce the launch of a new version of the StarkPhone.” He patted Loki consolingly on the shoulder. “You wanna conquer this world, you should stop with the violence and start developing gadgets. Seriously, if you have them by the OS their hearts and minds will follow.”

“An interesting concept,” Loki said. “And one I shall consider later.” His smile turned slightly feral. “How would you react to a competitor who could combine magic with Midgardian engineering I wonder?”

“Wait.” Tony caught Loki’s wrists. “You can combine magic and technology?” He smiled when Loki nodded. “Tell me more of this.”

“Interesting.” Loki looked like he was examining a particularly interesting specimen under a microscope. “You care more for the science than the power.”

“Eh.” Tony shrugged. “Power comes and goes. You work that out if you hang round this life for long enough. Knowledge though,” he linked arms with Loki. “That’s forever. That’s _worth_ chasing after. Now,” he steered them towards the door, “what do you say about me cooking dinner and you telling me more about how we can get our technologies to interface?”

\--

Tony would be the first to say that he made a mean omelette. In fact, Tony might be the only one to say he made a mean omelette.

Pepper had been unimpressed by his culinary talents, and, if the way that Loki pushed the rapidly cooling eggs around his plate was any indication… well. Tony shouldn’t give up the day job any time soon.

But there was wine, and science (and, you know, magic) and when Tony finally pushed the plates of congealed egg aside and kissed Loki up against the kitchen table it was late – later than Tony had realised.

He didn’t care though. The cool expanse of Loki’s skin under his fingertips and the unabashed hunger of Loki’s desire were intoxicating.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tony knew this was a bad idea, but when he moved to pull back, Loki made a helpless sound and Tony couldn’t help it. He melted further into the embrace and threw good sense and caution to the winds.

He would have thrown everything to the winds and fucked Loki then and there (which would have made team breakfasts excessively awkward – not that Tony cared then) but there was the ding of the elevator and voices getting closer and Tony froze, his face scant millimetres from Loki’s and their breaths mingling.

“Quick.” Tony managed to keep his voice to a low hiss as the voices resolved themselves into Coulson, Clint, and Tasha’s. “You need to get out of here _now_.”

For a second he thought they were going to have a problem – Loki seemed to linger for longer than Tony expected and though his expression was dark, his hands were still wrapped round Tony’s waist and he was running his index finger in a teasing line over the soft skin under Tony’s ribs. But then he nodded, a tight movement that spoke of some emotion that Tony couldn’t name, and he was gone – vanishing from sight as if he hadn’t been there at all, the feeling of his skin against Tony’s the last thing to fade.

It was just in time. Tony’s skin was still tingling from his touch when the door of the kitchen opened and Clint walked in.

“Stark,” he said by way of greeting. “You dog. If you’d texted to let us know you were entertaining, we would have crashed at Phil’s.”

Tony shook his head to dispel the images. He knew that the Shield trio had the most creative and caring sex of any of them (and were arguably the best balanced relationship that Tony had ever known – not that wild horses could drag that admission from him) but that didn’t mean he wanted to think about it.

“First,” he said, “I think you mean ‘Agent’s’, not ‘Phil’s’. Second, why does he even have a place any more? I have plenty of room here. And lastly, I was not entertaining.”

Clint nodded, his face a mask of polite scepticism. “Of course you weren’t,” he said. “Which is why you have a bottle of the good wine, two glasses, and the remains of a romantic, home-cooked meal for two on the table.” He looked more closely and frowned. “Actually, scrap that. The remains of a terrible, horrific, crime against food. You really need to let me teach you to cook, you know.”

“Thanks for the offer, Nigella, but I think I can cope with cooking an omelette for somebody.” Despite himself Tony was actually touched, and he only caught his slip when it was too late. He tried not to react, in the fruitless hope that Clint might not have noticed, but it was too late and Clint crowed with triumph.

“So there _was_ a date,” he said. “C’mon, Stark. Spill. Who is she? Where is she? When are we going to meet her?”

“You’re not,” Tony said. “Even if there was someone here this evening, which I am not confirming by the way, you’ll never meet them because it is a fling that means _nothing_.” He jabbed Clint in the chest. “You do remember how to _fling_ , don’t you, Barton? You just put your lips together and blo…”

He ground to a halt as Clint, laughing, pushed his hand against Tony’s mouth to shut him up.

“Enough,” Clint said. “I get the picture. Wine, dine, impress with the fixtures and fittings, screw, leave.” He smirked. “Just because I am happily settled now doesn’t mean I don’t remember how it goes.” He reached past Tony and snagged a cherry tomato from the neglected salad. “And it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to hear all the details, you know.”

“A gentleman never kisses and tells,” Tony said, fixing Clint with his best glare.

“Good thing you’re no gentleman then,” Clint said, jostling Tony fondly with his shoulder. “C’mon. Give me a clue. I’m a happily married man who needs to live gratuitously, man.”

Tony snorted. “You have the freakiest sex life and best love life of anyone I have ever known, Barton. You do not need the sordid details of my disappointing one night stands.” He met Clint’s eyes and willed himself to be as earnest as he could. “Seriously, it was a bit of convenient fun that meant nothing and I should have never brought it home.”

Clint shrugged, apparently taking this at face value. “Okay,” he said. “But I’m not going to lie to you, Stark. It would have been good to see you with someone. We’ve all been worried about you since, well,” he looked down at his feet. “Pepper.”

Tony blinked. He’d noticed that the team had been uncharacteristically, well, _nice_ when Pep had left, but he’d had no idea that they had cared enough to actually worry. “That’s nice, bro,” he said at last. “And I’d let you know if there was anyone, but there really isn’t. Not at the moment.” He shrugged. “A means to an end, that’s all that this is. Lots of fun and no hard feelings – but nothing I want you guys to worry about.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Clint looked sceptical, but he was backing up, giving Tony more space and that was what mattered right now. “Just, don’t go doing anything stupid, right bro?”

Tony nodded, and Clint nodded back, oddly serious for once, before he turned on his heel and left – probably for some of that kinky-three-way-agent love that Tony did his best not to picture. Not that he was picturing it now. For sure.

He waited for Clint’s footsteps to die away before he looked round for Loki, but try as he might he couldn’t find him anywhere.

In the end he went to bed alone, silently cursing at the lack of inter-dimensional cellphones or email. He was disappointed that Loki had vanished – he’d enjoyed the evening a lot, and he’d kinda got used to going to sleep next to Loki – but these things happened, and Loki was likely to appear in the morning: smug, self-satisfied and gorgeous as normal.

Tony went to sleep with a smile on his face.

\--

Loki wasn’t there the next morning, and Tony was in a foul mood. He wasn’t sure when he’d got used to having Loki around, but apparently he had, and it was _fine_ that Loki hadn’t come over because that was how they were, and Loki must have remembered something he needed to do, and there was no _reason_ why he needed to explain himself to Tony, but…

But Tony had slept badly, even for him. His conversation with Clint kept going round in his head and something that felt uncomfortably like guilt gnawed at his gut.

He hadn’t betrayed Loki with what he’d said, he _hadn’t_. Something as casual as what they were doing, wasn’t worth mentioning to the team – and especially not to Clint, because… reasons. Reasons Tony did not want to have to think about just then, thank you very much.

Recognising that this train of thought was going precisely nowhere, Tony hauled himself out of bed and went for a jog. He grumbled to himself as he pulled on his running shoes. You’d think that in a building with seven gyms that there would be somewhere to work out, but what with Cap’s abusive relationship with the punching bags, the creepily motivating AIs that had taken over the equipment on the fourth and seventh floors, and the desperate need for parts that had led to him cannibalising his own gym last Thursday… well. Jogging in the park it was. 

It was still early enough that Riverside Park was fairly deserted and Tony could lose himself in the rhythmic pounding of his feet against the sidewalk.

He hadn’t bothered with headphones, so he heard when the faint sounds of hooves behind him, he moved over to the edge of the path to allow the rider to get past.

Horse riding was uncommon in New York, but there were still working horses, and this sort of morning was a good time to exercise them. So, after making sure there was enough space for the rider to get past, Tony thought no more of it.

Until, that was, the sound of hooves got very close indeed, and Tony felt a gust of hot-damp breath against his back.

He turned his head, still jogging, to shout at the inconsiderate prick who was trying to run him off the path, but instead of the bridled police horse being ridden by some humour-impaired jock, Tony found himself face-to-face with the foam-flecked lips and wild eyes of some primordial beast.

Panic took over and Tony bolted, moving from a jog to a sprint and forcing his attention back to the front. No matter how tempting it was to keep his eyes on the _thing_ , Tony was horribly aware that if he tripped and fell he would be in serious trouble. Even if this animal was some wild horse (and Tony had fought too many aliens over the past year to have much hope that _that_ was the case) a misplaced hoof would break his ribs at best and skull at worst.

He cursed the impulse to be alone that had meant he’d left his cellphone by the side of his bed, and his ACBT (armour calling bracelet thingies, okay? He’d rather spend his time on the tech than the marketing) in his workshop. But even if the downside of having a team was starting to rely too much on others, Tony had fought by himself for much longer, and it would take more than one My Little Pony to dispatch him.

He put on one final burst of speed as he neared the edge of the park, waiting until he heard the horse speed up before diving around the fence that bordered the park and throwing himself to the floor.

The horse was unable to match the manoeuvre, and faced with the already steady stream of pedestrians on the sidewalk, leapt into the air and landed in the road, causing cars to swerve.

Against the background chorus of honking taxis and furiously screaming drivers, Tony saw with horror that his suspicions had been correct. This was no ordinary horse – well, not unless ordinary horses usually had eight legs. Tony wasn’t much of an outdoors man – maybe they did and he just hadn’t noticed before.

There was nothing normal about the look in the animal’s eyes though. The glare of hatred it gave Tony as it lowered its head and shook its mane was more sentient and held more recognition than any animal’s would, and Tony would swear that it smiled just before it vanished, leaving nothing behind but some dented cars and frayed tempers – and a horrible sense of unease for Tony.

\---

Nothing weird happened on the way back to the tower, and Tony didn’t think to mention it to anyone. He may have done if it hadn’t been for the attack of the psychic squid over in the Bronx, but by the time the team had finished with those, and Bruce had been hosed down and quarantined (one of the squids had been lucky with a shot of its ink and no one seemed to know if the luminescent goo would have any long term affect. Frankly Bruce was probably best placed to deal with it in any case, and had already settled down with a computer and some data that needed interrogating by the time the others had left. It should worry Tony that the quarantine ward had so many of their favourite things in it. It spoke of poor life choices) it had kinda slipped his mind.

There was still no sign of Loki, and Tony was tired and (even if he wouldn’t admit it to the others) achy, so he showered and headed to bed, pawing at his StarkPad in the dark and unable to place what was causing the horrible aching feeling in his chest.

He must have dozed off eventually, because it was completely dark when he startled awake again. He lay in the bed waiting for his heart to stop racing and listening for any noises in the room. JARVIS may have woken him up if there had been any attack on the tower (or if some fool had broken in), but Tony had toned down his ability to monitor magical activity in order to keep the… thing with Loki undetected.

It occurred to him, as he heard the noise of something huge and rough rubbing itself against the floor, that this may have been a mistake.

“Loki?” He hated the break in his voice, the fear that kept it quiet even as he called out. “Is that you?”

There was no answer – not that Tony had really expected one. Still, an unexpected visit from one’s… well, whatever Loki actually _was_ , would be better than whatever alternative was advancing on the bed right then.

“JARVIS?” he said. “Lights, please.”

There was no answer from JARVIS and no lights came on, and Tony could feel sweat prickling his skin.

The feeling of his sheet moving sent Tony skittering across the bed until he could turn on the bedside lamp that Pepper had abandoned on the bedside cabinet. He felt better with the light on (and he was absolutely sure the noise that escaped him was a manly yell and not a girlish squeal, thank you so much) and had almost started to relax when he saw the blunt head of a giant snake rising over the edge of the bed.

Tony couldn’t help it: he froze. He couldn’t shout, he couldn’t scream, hell, he couldn’t even move to swallow. The reptile was regarding him steadily with huge, yellow eyes and Tony suddenly remembered seeing _The Jungle Book_ as a child and scoffing at the way Kaa had hypnotised Mowgli.

He wasn’t laughing now – he wasn’t doing anything, wasn’t _able_ to do anything, but watch as the snake advanced on him, tasting the air with his tongue as it moved.

He could feel the tension build, knew that the snake would attack at any moment, and didn’t know the first thing he could do to stop it, when the door flew open with a bang and Steve turned the light on.

“Tony?” Steve’s voice was all Cap. “Thor’s back and he needs everyone now.”

Tony made a strangled sound that caught Steve’s attention, and he turned back.

“You okay?” he asked, sounding more like the friend Tony had made and less like the National Icon that Tony had antagonised at first meeting. “Tony, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Tony gestured at the bed, and the giant snake… who was no longer there. He gaped. He was not losing his mind, that snake had definitely been on his bed, and…

“Tony?” Steve sounded concerned. “Has something happened?” He looked round the room. “Tony, is someone in here?” He lowered his tone and assumed a fighting stance, glaring, warily, at the shadows in the corners.

“No,” Tony said, not sure why he wasn’t sharing his fears. “I was dreaming before you woke me, that’s all.”

“Huh.” Steve relaxed infinitesimally. “Musta been a doozy.”

“Yeah.” Tony staggered out of bed and grabbed some jeans. “Yeah, it really was.”

\--

Thor was looking uncharacteristically concerned by the time Tony and Steve made it to the kitchen.

Bruce was already there, sipping his herbal tea and looking no worse for the squid incident, and Natasha, Phil, and Clint slipped into the room just after them. Tony noticed how Thor’s attention went automatically to Clint, and the frown on his face deepened.

“So,” he said, watching the dynamics of the room surreptitiously as he poured himself a mug of coffee. “What’s up, Goldilocks?”

Thor frowned at him but did not rise to the bait. “I have most grievous news, my friends. Most grievous.”

“Loki,” Clint said, and raised his eyebrow at the surprised looks round the room. “What? Just because I’m a circus boy I can’t put two and two together?”

Tony snorted. “We all know your academic qualifications, Dr Barton,” he said. “You can’t keep pulling that country hick routine when you’ve co-authored papers with two people in the room.”

“Three,” Natasha said. “But please, Stark, continue with interrupting Thor.”

Tony bowed in overblown apology, but the whole interchange didn’t even make Thor smile.

“Brother Hawk is right,” he said. “There have been rumours that Loki has been visiting Midgard and particularly this city in my absence, and I cannot divine what his intentions here are.”

Clint snorted, but said nothing. Tony noticed that he and Natasha moved though, so that they were bracketing Phil.

Thor inclined his head. This was something of an on-going argument, and the team had learnt that bitten tongues were easier to ignore than black eyes.

“I confess,” Thor said, “that I am concerned. I cannot discover what his plans are, and there have even been rumours that my niece and nephews have been visiting this realm.”

Tony paused, his mug halfway to his lips and a horrible suspicion dawning.

“Your niece and nephews?” he asked. “You mean that Loki…”

“Aye.” Thor nodded. “Loki’s children.”

“Loki’s a father?” Clint sounded horrified. “Jesus. And I thought my dad was bad.”

“A father,” Thor said, ignoring the second part of what Clint had said. “And also a mother.” He seemed self-conscious for the first time. “Things are different in Asgard.”

“Sounds like,” Tony said, starting to poke at his StarkPad, already convinced he knew what he would find. “You know his children well?”

“No.” Thor shook his head, confusion marring his brow. “They were something he kept away from the court for fear of our father’s displeasure. My brother’s children are… unique.”

“I think I’ve met them,” Tony said, and every head in the room turned towards him. “Or at least three of them.”

“What means this?” Thor asked. “What reason would they have to seek you out?”

“Are you sure it was them?” Phil asked – and of course it would be Phil who was the logical voice of reason.

“I don’t know,” Tony said. “There was a girl whose face I didn’t understand, a horse with eight legs, and a giant snake that crawled onto my bed and vanished when the light was turned on.” He glared at Clint. “Yes, Barton. I said I had a giant snake in my bed. Yuck it up.”

Clint shrugged and spread his hands in assumed innocence, though Tony could tell he was laughing behind his face.

“Why would they visit you?” Thor looked utterly perplexed. “They have shown no interest in this realm before.”

“More importantly,” Natasha said, her voice low and dangerous, “why did you not tell us that you had seen them?”

“One odd kid I couldn’t tell apart from any other kid in the city,” Tony said, ticking the encounters off on his fingers. “A horse that might have tried to knock me over in the park when I was jogging this morning, and that seemed less important than squid that were definitely trying to kill all of us, and a snake that hissed at me then vanished when Steve turned the light on. Not really much of a chance to tell you.” He shrugged. “If I’d known who they were I would have mentioned meeting them, but as it was…” He sipped his coffee to hide his confusion.

“The girl is Hel,” Thor said. “She is the ruler of her own realm, despite her youth. The horse is called Sleipnir.” Thor looked as shifty as only a giant Norse god could. “We do not mention him.”

“And the snake?” Tony asked. “’Cuz I’ll tell you now, he did not give me the warm fuzzies.”

“Jörmungandr,” Thor said, his expression darkening. “We do not get on, he and I.”

“Must make family get togethers a blast,” Tony said under his breath, and held his hands up in surrender at Phil’s glare.

“You have not seen a wolf?” Thor asked, tension in his voice.

“No, no wolf,” Tony said, thinking back to check if there had been any other encounters he was forgetting. “Why? Is that another child?”

“My nephew,” Thor nodded. “Fenrir. Perhaps the most ruthless of all.”

“Nice.” Tony swallowed around the sudden dryness in his mouth. “I’ll look forward to that then.”

“What did they say they wanted?” Bruce asked, and Tony turned to look at him. “I mean, it seems to be you they sought out specifically, so they must be after something.”

“Well,” Tony said, thinking about the encounters, and the whole not thing with Loki. “Horses and snakes don’t tend to talk much, you know?”

“My nephews have a full command of All-Speak,” Thor said, looking displeased at any criticism of his family. “And even had they not, my niece is in human form.” He paused. “Mostly human form in any case.”

“Yes, Tony,” Natasha said. “What did Hel say to you?”

Tony frowned, trying to remember. “Something about wanting to see what manner of man I was,” he said. “When I was away from my court. Or something.” He shrugged an apology. “Guys, if I paid attention to everything every weird kid said to me, I’d never get anything done.”

“Why would she say that?” Bruce asked.

“Have you seen my brother?” Thor asked, his tone uncharacteristically sharp.

Tony looked down at his coffee mug, swirling the dregs as if he could read his future in them. “Why would I have seen Loki?” he asked.

“The date,” Clint said, his tone one of horrified realisation. “For fuck’s sake, Stark. Tell me you didn’t.”

Tony shrugged, and kept his eyes on the mug to avoid the disbelieving looks.

Natasha hissed, but her voice was calm when she spoke. “That seems remarkably self-destructive, Stark, even for you.”

“Fuck self-destructive,” Clint said. “You didn’t tell me, Tony. You had the perfect opportunity and you didn’t even have the courtesy to fucking mention it?”

He sounded so hurt that Tony looked up despite himself. “Barton,” he said. “ _Clint_. I’m…” he swallowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you, and it’s not like it was anything serious. I mean, it was just sex.” He looked round at their faces, at the range of distrust and anger they shared, and couldn’t help the anger that started to burn. “C'mon, like I'm the only person in the room who's ever fooled around with someone.” He glanced at Steve. “Apart from you, blondie. It’s just sex. People do it. There’s nothing to get so upset about.”

“Just sex.” Clint took a deep breath in through his nose and released it slowly. “And you didn’t want to upset me. Well, Stark. That’s really good of you. I appreciate that.”

He got up from the table and left the room, shutting the door gently behind him. 

“At least he didn’t slam it,” Tony said. “That’s something.”

Phil fixed him with a stare as he got up from his chair. “It’s when he’s quiet that he’s hurting most,” he said, and followed Clint from the room, Natasha close on his heels. 

If Tony had needed anything to make him feel even more wretched, it was that. He’d worked so hard to build bridges with the trio, and now… He sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face.

“It was just sex,” he said again. “It didn’t mean anything. There was no point upsetting you all over something that meant nothing.”

“Do you think,” Thor said, his voice very level, and quieter than Tony had heard it before, “that my brother would sully himself like a wanton whore?” He looked at Tony. “Do you think he would mate with a race he sees as below him if it were a matter of physical convenience?” He stood up and Tony was suddenly reminded of just how _huge_ Thor was. “When did you see him last?”

“Yesterday evening,” Tony said, subdued now. “We had dinner, but then Clint and the others got home, and Loki vanished, and…” He shrugged again. “I haven’t seen him since.”

“Did you perhaps say anything about the relationship?” Bruce asked, and Tony shook his head, shamefaced. “And is there any chance that Loki might have heard you?”

“I don’t know,” Tony said. “I… I wouldn’t have said it if I thought he’d hear.”

Thor nodded, his face still serious. “Make this right,” he said. “Make it right with my brother, Stark, or I will end you.”

He left the room. Bruce nodded at Steve and followed Thor.

“Fix it,” Steve said, when they were alone. “Tony, we’re your team and we love you, but you shouldn’t lie to us, and you need to fix this now.”

\--

There was no way Tony was going to sleep after that, so he headed down to the workshop. If he was going to be awake, he may as well be productive.

Of course he wanted to sort things out with Loki, but how was he meant to fix something when there wasn’t a thing to fix in the first place?

It was all well and good for Thor to say that Loki wouldn’t have sought him out if it was a matter of convenient sex, but hate sex was a thing. Thor probably wasn’t taking that into account. Tony didn’t even really know Loki – he’d had no idea he was a father… or a mother… or _whatever_. The point was that Tony and Loki didn’t really know much about each other and hate sex was totally a thing.

What Tony needed right now was to have some uninterrupted science time. Things always felt clearer after science. He’d know what to do then, would have worked out what to say – and preferably a way of contacting Loki that didn’t mean talking to Thor about it again, because right now even if he knew what to say, he had no means to contact him and… He halted just inside the door of the workshop. He was not, contrary to expectation, alone.

The wolf was huge and as Tony had entered the room its hackles had raised. Now, with Tony frozen, it let out a deep growl that vibrated in Tony’s ribcage.

This, then, was the fourth child.

The wolf stalked towards him, and Tony swallowed nervously. Yeah. This step-dad thing was never going to work out. He’d have to tell Loki that if, y’know, he didn’t die before that happened.

“So,” the wolf’s voice was a low rumble, as threatening in its own way as the growl was. “You are the man who has upset my father.”

“I could be?” Tony tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice. He was aware that he mostly failed. “I mean, there’s lots of people who could have upset L…”

“Silence.” The wolf was now face to face with Tony, and was so huge that his nose was level with Tony’s own. “Enough of your lies. I can smell the truth on you.”

It stared at Tony, the heat of its breath making the sweat stand cold on Tony’s face.

Tony bit his lip. Now was not the moment for smart comments, and since the only thing he could think of to say was _good doggy_ … well. Biting his lip seemed to be the best option.

“Good.” The wolf parted its lips and pushed its muzzle so close to Tony’s neck that he could feel its teeth against his skin. “You are a lie of a man – your strength is as fabricated as the words you speak.” It snorted. “It pleases you to think you have power over a god, but mark my words, mortal,” its voice dropped to a snarl, “he will tire of you soon, and when he withdraws his protection…”

The words trailed off, but as the wolf stepped back its eyes glowed red and it curled its lip in a sneer.

“Aw, poochie.” Tony realised with horror that that was his voice. “Are you scared that Daddy won’t love you any more now he’s got a new squeeze?”

“What did you say?” The wolf sounded murderous, but there was nothing for it now. Tony wasn’t going to let a reject from the dog-pound dictate his relationship.

“I said,” Tony took a step toward the wolf, “that you shouldn’t get your fur in a knot just because your father is in a relationship with me. I’m sure there’ll be room by the fire for you whenever you come over.” He took another step forward and flicked the wolf’s ear. “Tell you what, if you’re nice to me now, I’ll even let you up on the couch.”

He expected to lose his hand – or have his throat ripped out – but instead the wolf backed up a step.

“Brave words,” it said, “but you have done nothing to seek out my father since you insulted him.”

“Whoa.” Tony held up his hands. “Hold it right there, Lassie. First off, when did I upset Loki? Second off, how do you know I haven’t tried looking for him? And thirdly, and stop me if what I’m saying doesn’t make sense, but what the hell does it have to do with you?”

“You think my father’s happiness is not my concern? Do you lack all family ties in this forsaken realm?”

Tony sniffed. “I hardly think that Loki is the epitome of family values either, but even if he was, do you really think that threatening me is going to do anything to make him happier?”

The wolf looked puzzled at this. “I do not know,” he said. “I believe he would be happier without you.”

“And what does he think?”

It was a well-known fact that wolves couldn’t shrug, but Tony felt that if wolves could, then this wolf would.

“He is not in his right mind,” the wolf said. “He has no time for plots and schemes. He sits in my sister’s realm and dwells on you.”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “I can see how that would be a bit worrying.” He frowned. “He must be driving your sister mad.”

“She is ready to lay waste to the nine realms.”

Tony sucked the air in over his teeth. “Okay. In that case I can understand the threats.” He thought about Pepper when she was annoyed. “You may have actually gone easy on me.”

The wolf nodded. “It’s not that I don’t empathise,” it said. “She is responsible for a whole realm, but,” he looked as sheepish as a giant wolf could, “she does like to spread the misery around.”

Tony patted the wolf on its shoulder. “I feel ya, bro.”

The wolf’s ears drooped lower. “I have plots of my own,” it said. “But all I hear is second-hand about your genius and cunning.”

“That’d get old fast.” Tony thought about it. “I think I need to talk to Loki.”

“Would you?” The wolf looked ridiculously hopeful, and its tail wagged.

“Yeah.” Tony tousled the wolf’s ears. “I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”

\--

It turned out finding Loki was a whole lot easier when you had his kids helping, but still, things took time, and Tony found himself mooching round, waiting, and mainlining coffee while he tried to work out what he would say to Loki when he found him.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Clint’s words didn’t give Tony enough warning, and the coin bounced off his forehead and landed in the precious, life-giving coffee.

“Funny, Barton.” Tony tried to fish the coin from the mug with a fork. “You wouldn’t want to hear them anyway.” He managed to dredge up the coin and flicked it at Barton who caught it with a grin.

“Try me,” he said. “I mean, I know I didn’t react so great before, but you did kinda spring it on me.”

“Oh, sorry.” Tony looked at his mug and debated what germs would have ended up in the coffee. “Somehow over the past twelve hours you have found a well of forgiveness in your heart for Loki, yeah?” He decided that it was worth the risk, and took a sip. “Forgive and forget? No problems about the mind control? Or Phil?”

Clint sighed and pinged the coin back off Tony’s head, catching it on the rebound. “Of course it’s still a problem,” he said. “A fucking massive problem since you ask, but,” he punched Tony’s fist gently. “I wasn’t blowing smoke up your ass before either, Stark. It would be good to see that you had someone outside of the science and the fighting.”

The earnest look sat oddly on his face, and it was that more than anything that halted the glib comment on Tony’s lips. “Even if it’s Loki?” he asked, and Clint nodded.

“Even then,” he said. “Though we could get you someone else? If you’re not set on Loki?”

Tony laughed. “Sorry, bro,” he said. “I kinda am.”

“Figures,” Clint said. “So what are you gonna do now you worked that out?”

“Uggggh.” Tony dropped his head onto the table. “I’m going to have to talk to him, aren’t I?”

“Sounds like.” Clint looked far too amused about this. “Any idea what you’ll say?”

“No.” Tony peeped up under his lashes at Clint. “I don’t suppose you’d…?”

“I’d what?” Clint crossed his legs and sipped his coffee with his pinky extended – the effect only slightly spoiled by the fact he was drinking from the filter jug. “Go on, Stark. I need to hear this.” He sipped again and raised an eyebrow. “I _deserve_ this.”

Tony huffed and pushed himself upright. “Clint Barton, I acknowledge that you have super-secret-ninja relationship skills that I can only dream of. Please tell me what to do?”

Clint smiled. “To do with what?”

Tony glared, but there was no choice. “Please tell me what to do to win the heart of the man I love?”

“That’s better.” Clint nodded. “Well, from my vast experience the best thing you can do is to be honest about how you feel, and,” he glanced at the door, checking that no one was there, “ask him how he feels as well.” He paused. “And listen to the answer, like, properly listen. Like you’re listening on an op, not listening to your boyfriend.” He gave Tony an assessing look. “Foot-rubs don’t hurt either.”

“Barton,” Tony said, standing up. “That was actually helpful.”

“Yeah.” Clint shrugged, and Tony could see how his cheeks coloured. “I’ve been well trained recently.”

“It looks good on you,” Tony said. “And if you ever tell Agent or the Widow that I said that I will kill you myself.”

“Like you could,” Clint said. “Please.”

“Eh.” Tony knew a losing battle when he was fighting one. “Seriously though, thanks. You’ve taken this a lot better than I expected.”

Clint grinned at him. “Bro,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to giving him the shovel talk.”

The look he gave Tony as he left the room suggested the talk wouldn’t be a solo effort, but he couldn’t care. He didn’t have to choose between the team and Loki, and the knowledge that he wasn’t burning all his bridges made it a lot easier to decide what to say.

\--

Shovel talks, of course, did not go the one way.

“Anthony.” Thor seemed to be physically incapable of speaking in less than a boom, and frankly the elevator was the last place Tony wanted to be stuck with him though.

Unfortunately Thor was faster than his size would suggest and he blocked Tony’s exit before he could escape.

“I am glad to find you, shield-brother,” he said, the tiniest hint of a smug smile at the corners of his mouth. “I would speak to you.”

“Great,” Tony said, eyeing the closing gap of the lift door and wondering if he could clear it if he dived. “Glad you caught me then.”

“As I see.” Thor smiled placidly, as the door slid closed on Tony’s only hope of escape. “I wish to know your intentions toward my brother.”

“My intentions?” Tony said, swallowing. This close, Thor seemed even huger than he normally did, and he seemed to be swinging towards the petulant end of his emotional scale.

“Aye.” Thor crossed his arms over his chest. “I know my nephew has visited you, and you are planning something.” He glared at Tony. “I do not know your heart, and maybe it is not my place to know, but you should be aware that, for all our differences, I love my brother, and I would not see him hurt nor diminished.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I understand that.” He blinked at Thor’s disbelieving look. “I might not have a brother, but I can understand wanting to protect someone you love.”

Thor narrowed his eyes. “And yet you make no promises,” he said. “Believe me, Anthony, I am grateful for the lodging you provide, and I embrace you as a shield-brother, but,” he lowered his hand and poked Tony in the chest, “should you hurt Loki they will never find your body.”

“Understood,” Tony said, feeling slightly shaken. The lift juddered to a halt and Tony was out the door almost before it opened. “I’ll… um… pass on your regards when I see him, yeah?”

Thor opened his mouth to say something more, but Tony waved vaguely and escaped into the stairwell before he could speak.

He wasn’t sure he could fix things with Loki, though he was increasingly sure he wanted to, but the stakes seemed to be rising all the time. Tony grinned ruefully as he jogged downstairs. No one had ever said he lived life on the safe side – why the hell should falling in love be any different?

\--

It was cold in the park in the predawn air, especially with the breeze coming in off the water, but Tony didn’t care.

He ran to occupy himself rather than to keep warm, and this time he grinned when he heard the noise of hooves gaining on him. He put on an extra burst of speed, choosing an arbitrary tree as his target, and laughed as the horse easily overtook him.

“Sleipnir?” he asked, when they both stopped, and when Tony had caught his breath again.

“Aye,” the horse said. “Unless you know another eight-legged steed?”

Tony laughed. “I hardly know one,” he said. “Though I hope to fix that.”

“Tis easily mended, Anthony Fathersmate,” Sleipnir said. “You may climb on my back and we will get acquainted as we travel to my sister’s land.”

“You’re keen to get going?” Tony asked, and the horse shook its mane in assent.

“I have duties to perform at my grandfather’s court,” he said. “And nor do I want to extend the time of my sister’s trial unduly.” He waited while Tony climbed onto his back. “Tell me, is it true you once defeated an entire army with the throw of one weapon?”

“Huh.” Tony was surprised – that was one way of looking at the Chitauri attack. “He told you about that?”

“Oh yes.” Sleipnir was running now, faster than any normal horse could, and the world had started to blur as if it was fading into something else. “Oft he has told of your exploits on that day. And of your mastery of metal.” Wherever they were now, they weren’t on Earth, and though Tony could see Sleipnir’s hooves strike sparks when they fell, they made no noise. “Tell me, Anthony. Have you enslaved an all-knowing wizard in the rooms of your home?”

“JARVIS?” Tony asked. “Well, kinda, though you’re not getting it quite right.”

“I shall look forward to your instruction,” Sleipnir said. “Should you persuade my father that you are sincere.”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “Me too.”

Sleipnir whinnied at that and ran onwards in silence. Tony felt his apprehension mount with each step.

“Where are we?” he asked eventually, when he couldn’t take the silence any more.

“We are under the roots of Yggdrasil,” Sleipnir said. “You would call it the World Tree in your tongue.”

“And this is where Hel is?” Tony said. “It’s not very… Well…” He trailed off, not sure how to sum up what he was seeing. Bleak would be the least of it.

Sleipnir whinnied again. “She was sent here by the Allfather,” he said, pride in his voice, “to administer board and lodging to those sent to this realm upon their death.”

“I thought that was Valhalla?” Tony said, unsure. He had done _some_ reading since the Battle of New York, but there were still gaps in his knowledge.

“Valhalla houses those who die in battle,” Sleipnir said. “Hel’s realm is the destination for those who die of sickness or old age.”

“Strange,” Tony said. “I’d always assumed it would be the same as our hell.” He paused, frowning. “If that’s real, of course. Which I guess it could be.”

“I have heard stories of the land you call hell,” Sleipnir said. “But I fear we think too differently about the ideas of life and reward for me to understand it.”

“Yeah,” Tony said, thinking of Loki’s actions. “That makes sense.” He sighed. He missed the days when he could cheerfully mock religious beliefs, safe in the knowledge that nothing awaited him after death.

“The rules for your folk may be different,” Sleipnir said. “I merely travel between the worlds – I do not claim to understand them.”

Tony grunted an acknowledgement. This fell firmly under the heading of Things He Did Not Want To Think About.

He was saved from thinking more about this by the shock of impact as Sleipnir’s hooves hit firm ground. They were running now over a vast plane, grey as dawn, and ahead of them was a huge building, surrounded by high walls, and with immense and horribly foreboding gates.

“My sister’s mansion,” Sleipnir said, and Tony nodded. It looked like somewhere to avoid, and he was heading for somewhere close by. What else, after all, could it be?

Sleipnir snorted, as if divining his thoughts. “Brace yourself, Anthony,” he said. “My sister is waiting for us, and she does not look happy.”

She really didn’t. Tony recognised the crossed arms and tapping foot as Very Bad News.

“What time do you call this?” she asked as Sleipnir drew to a halt in front of her. “Do you have _any idea_ what the last eight hours have been like?”

“My apologies,” Sleipnir said. “But I have duties at court, and you do not, I think, want the All-Father to discover the state of affairs?”

“No,” Hel said. “That would not be good.” She sighed. “At least you’re here now, I suppose.” She turned her attention to Tony. “You have a great deal to answer for, Anthony Stark.”

Sleipnir coughed. “If you berate him now, it shall merely extend the duration of our father’s discontent.”

It seemed as if Hel was having to bite her lip, but eventually she nodded and gestured at Tony.

“Dismount then,” she said. “And I shall bring you to him.”

Tony clambered down and rested his hand on Sleipnir’s neck. “Thanks,” he said. “For the ride and the company. I’ll do my best not to let you down.”

Sleipnir butted him with his head. “’Tis not my feelings you should be concerned for,” he said. “Though I thank you for the kindness and hope we shall talk again.”

Tony nodded, and then, squaring his shoulders, turned to follow Hel towards the gates of her hall. The sound of Sleipnir’s hooves cantering away into the distance made him feel suddenly and horribly alone.

Hel was silent as Tony followed her through the gates and into a hall. Although it was lit only by a fire at one end of the room, and the occasional glimmer of rushlights, Tony got a sense of scale from the echoes of his feet against the flagstones.

Around the dark edges of the room he could hear occasional rustling, as if things were moving, but the flickering lights made shadows indistinguishable from shape, and Tony didn’t look too closely. Instead he concentrated on matching his pace to Hel’s, following the grey line of her silhouette through the room and trying to fight down his panic.

She turned as they reached a curtain-obscured doorway and put her hand on Tony’s arm.

“Wait here,” she said and slipped behind the curtain, leaving Tony alone, the skin on the back of his neck prickling with the gaze of unseen eyes.

He could hear voices speaking in low tones behind the curtain, but couldn’t make out the words, and he wasn’t sure she was talking to Loki until she pushed the curtain aside and stood, framed against the dim light of an open window.

She nodded at Tony, not unkindly, and gestured that he should enter the room. He brushed past her and felt her hand rest on his shoulder for the barest second before she withdrew from the room, letting the curtain fall behind her.

Loki was sitting at the edge of the window, his attention wholly focussed on something beyond the range of Tony’s sight. His hair hung loose around his face, curling and softer than Tony had seen it before, but there were lines of strain around his eyes and mouth.

“Hey,” Tony said, his voice soft and something warm stretching in his chest. “So, I met your kids then.”

He could tell Loki had heard him – could see it in the tension of his shoulders and the clench of his fists – but his attention remained fixed outside the room and he didn’t respond.

Tony took a few steps closer. “I liked them,” he said, picking up an earthenware cup off a table and testing its weight. “Well, Sleipnir and Fenrir mostly, ’cuz they’re the ones who’ve spoken to me most, but Hel seems like she’s cut from the family cloth, and the snake was very…” He paused, considered. “Terrifying, actually. You should have a word with him about creeping into men’s beds during the night.”

That brought the faintest of smiles to Loki’s lips, and Tony took another couple of steps closer.

“Really,” Tony said, watching Loki out of the corner of his eye. “It was lucky it was me. I mean, I’m used to handling giant Asgardian serpents, but Steve’s probably not even used to finding…”

“Enough.” Loki turned, imperious despite the soft curls of his hair and the smile he was trying to suppress. “I have no wish to hear of your Captain’s snake-skills.” He fixed his attention firmly on Tony. “I would rather have you explain why you have come to this place.”

Tony swallowed. “There are lots of things I could say,” he said. “But mainly I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “Why would you need to be sorry? You were very clear to your teammate that I am no more than a convenient body.”

“First,” Tony said, holding up a finger. “I was lying, and I’m sorry that I lied.” He reached out and took Loki’s hand. “I’m sorry that I hurt you. There’s nothing I can do to take those words back, but,” he tightened his hold, even though Loki remained unresponsive, “I told Clint the truth. I told the team the truth. And then I came here to see you, so…” He dropped Loki’s hand and stepped back. “Yeah. I guess the rest is up to you.”

“What is the second thing?” Loki looked at him, his expression still cold and aloof. “You said ‘first’, so what is second?”

Tony laughed. “Second? Second is how on Earth do you imagine you could ever be convenient?” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “You’re exasperating, infuriating, intoxicating, captivating…” He smiled at Loki, feeling rueful. “But you are never, _ever_ convenient.”

“Oh.” Loki turned away from him, and Tony sat down on one of the large wooden benches to await his verdict. “What is the truth then?” he asked, still turned away from Tony. “You said you told your team the truth. What is it?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “That.” He swallowed. “I guess it’s that…” he looked up, into Loki’s eyes. “Well, I guess I have feelings. For you. Good feelings.”

Loki looked vaguely horrified. “Is this how courtship operates on your world?”

“No.” Tony shrugged. “This is all me.”

“Ah.” Loki sat down next to Tony, letting the edges of their hands rest together. “I should count myself lucky then?”

“Hell, yes.” Tony knocked him with his shoulder. “Can you imagine if I was Steve? I’d be reciting love poetry and strewing your bed with rose petals.”

Loki shuddered. “No,” he said. “You’re right. Telling me you have ‘good feelings’ is much more romantic.”

“You want romance?” Tony turned to look at him. “’Cuz I can do romance if you want it.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he said. “Because it always struck me that your idea of romance would be dangerous for everyone concerned.”

Tony pushed his nose into Loki’s cheek until he felt Loki smile. “And you think this isn’t?” he asked, putting on his best innocent expression.

“You make a valid point,” Loki said, resting his head against Tony’s. “It would damage my reputation if it were anything else.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Tony grinned. “Family man, devoted dad… there’s a lot to your reputation that people don’t know about yet.”

“And nor will they.” Loki’s tone was final. “My children are not something I care to have discussed by the ignorant and misinformed.”

Tony thought of the tabloid press and nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I get that.” He poked Loki in the soft flesh of his side. “You didn’t mind them hunting me down though.”

Loki snorted. “As if I had a choice in that matter,” he said. “Though, no. You are right. I didn’t mind you meeting them.”

“Huh,” Tony said. “And why would that be?”

“They are an important part of my life,” Loki said, slipping his arm around Tony and pulling him closer. “And I may also be developing feelings.” He reached over to tip Tony’s face towards his. “Good feelings.”

He bent down and kissed Tony, and for the first time Tony didn’t have to fight back his emotions. He reached up and trailed his fingers over Loki’s jaw, feeling the movement as they deepened the kiss, the vibration as Loki moaned into his mouth.

“So, we’re doing this, then?” he said, when they pulled apart, and Loki’s smile warmed his heart. “All the feelings, and stuff?”

“It would seem so,” Loki said. “Given how we both feel, I judge it would be convenient to do so.”

He muffled Tony’s bark of laughter with a kiss that was both possessive and fond, and which stirred something inside Tony. He rather thought it might be happiness.

Tony could have lost himself in this, the demanding heat of Loki’s mouth and the intoxicating feeling of his touch, but they were interrupted by a horrified exclamation.

“Dad!” Hel sounded like a traumatised teenager and Tony sniggered even as Loki broke the kiss to look at her. “This is my chamber! My mansion! You can’t do _that_ here.”

“That?” Loki rose from the bench and frowned at her. “You speak of the man I love as _that_?”

Their voices rose in the beginnings of what sounded like it would be a spectacular family argument. Tony sighed and got up to stand beside Loki. It seemed that things had got complicated – very complicated. Frankly, Tony thought that nothing could be better.

**Author's Note:**

> There are no words to tell you how great it was to work with Johanirae again. She is the most patient, supportive person you could wish for. A millionty thanks to my betas H, Nat, and Mizzy, without whom this less funny and full of random words. Any remaining mistakes are all down to me.


End file.
